


Healing Hearts

by exovelvetwriters



Category: EXO (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, EXOVelvet, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28627956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exovelvetwriters/pseuds/exovelvetwriters
Summary: Sooyoung was a perfectionist. It irked her when things didn't go her way. And right now she didn't like how their hallway reeked of alcohol. Meanwhile, Chanyeol just wants to drink the pain away.Genre: Drama, Prompt: Scent
Relationships: Park Chanyeol & Park Sooyoung | Joy, Park Chanyeol/Park Sooyoung | Joy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6
Collections: EXOVelvetWritersFest 2.0





	Healing Hearts

_Content Warning: Alcohol, drinking_

* * *

The first time Sooyoung knew that something was wrong with her neighbor was six months ago. She came home that day, tired and in dire need of a glass or an entire bottle of red wine after spending the entire day with her creepy boss. Her hand was already hovering over the doorknob of her apartment when she smelled something off. Part of the hallway had a faint and almost unnoticeable scent of alcohol. She didn’t need to look around much to figure out that it came from her neighbor’s apartment. Park Chanyeol’s apartment.

\-----

_ 11 months ago _

Sooyoung needed some wine. Like, right now. At 7 in the morning when what she should be drinking is a mug of coffee or the tea her cousin bought for her during his business trip to Japan. She hurriedly opened the door to her mini wine cellar, squeezed between her kitchen and foyer. Her pointed finger hovered over the few shelves before they landed on a bottle of red wine she got from France. She smiled, carefully pulling the bottle out and grabbing a glass from her cabinets.

Pouring wine into her glass till it was half-full, she sat down, setting the bottle near the foot of her couch. She snatched the remote from her coffee table, turning the TV on and playing some random sitcom on Netflix.

She sighed, her eyelids fluttering close as tranquility washed over her. Today was one of the few days where she felt more at ease. More relaxed, and carefree. She didn’t have to put on her red suit that somehow intimidated her co-workers, her three-inch heels that clinked as she made long and confident strides everywhere she went. Today was her day-off, and she planned on spending the entire day drinking wine and cooking one of her great-grandmother’s recipes.

_ Thud! _

The sound of what seemed like a box containing something heavy hitting the floor startled Sooyoung, causing some of the wine from her glass to spill on her white carpet. “What in the world…”

She set her glass down beside the bottle. All of her attention was now set on finding out who made the noise that made her accidentally ruin her brand new carpet and how she’d plan on telling their ear off. She needed a new carpet and whoever it was, was going to pay.

She took light steps to exit her apartment, trying to calm herself down. She patted her hair down to fix it before she froze at the sight of boxes, lots of boxes in front of the unit beside hers.

‘A new neighbor?’ she thought, brows furrowed. The unit to her right has been empty since she moved in. It bothered her sometimes, and made her feel lonely. But overall, she was glad there wasn’t anyone living there. She didn’t want anyone to add more noise to the one that her other neighbor, Jongdae, made. She appreciated having a singer as a neighbor but she didn’t need to hear him practicing his runs at dawn.

She walked towards the widely opened door and peeked inside the apartment. The figure of a man who was way taller than her surprised her. Sooyoung was proud to call herself taller than most of her friends, but this man was simply a giant.

“Hi,” She cleared her throat, catching the attention of the man who was in the middle of setting his guitar stand up. “Irene never told me that someone was moving in…”

“Oh, hi!” He placed the unassembled stand down and rushed over to Sooyoung, his hand reaching to shake hers. “I’m Chanyeol! And well, this whole moving thing was kinda rushed too. Just got the place a few days ago.”

He smiled. His eyes scrunched up into a bunch, and an evident dimple had made its way to his left cheek. And for the first time in a while, a few butterflies soared through Sooyoung’s insides. But she quickly suppressed those. “I see…” She said, "The name's Park Sooyoung. You can come over later and I’ll cook up some dinner for the two of us?”

“You’d do that?”

Sooyoung smiled. “Of course, I would. We’re neighbors.”

Chanyeol perked up, his smile widening even more. “See you later, then!” He side-hugged Sooyoung, catching her by surprise.

Sooyoung nodded as Chanyeol let her go, silently thanking her mother for passing down her great-grandmother’s recipe book.

-

Sooyoung was a fool. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't dare to say or even think about such a statement. She graduated top of her class for a reason. But of course, she’d call herself a fool for not asking Chanyeol if he had any allergies. She didn’t even ask his food preferences. So while she was flicking through her great-grandmother’s recipe book, she was also looking for something that wouldn’t risk putting Chanyeol in the hospital on his first day.

With her brows knitted together, she turned page after page until she finally came across something that she knew Chanyeol would love.

-

Sooyoung always knew she was more of a small-talk-during-dinner-and-deep-conversations-after kind of person. She just didn’t like talking while eating, especially if the food is good. And even more when what she prepared was her great-grandmother’s famous pizza that never tasted quite that good when it’s cold as when it’s hot. Nonetheless, she pushed a smile when Chanyeol started talking as soon as he got settled on her dining table.

Their conversation dragged on longer than what Sooyoung expected. It was fun for the most part. They talked about the stuff they like. The things that made their eyes widen with excitement. The things that made them practically jump out of their seat. But their conversation somehow took a turn to a topic where Sooyoung always spoke with pride and confidence.

Family.

For Sooyoung, family was everything. She took pride in having a successful father who ran their business, a mother who she found so admirable she wanted to be like her in every single way, and a brother who, though most of the time is hardheaded, was still accomplished in his own line of work. Sooyoung loved her family. Her moral compass revolved and came from what her family taught her.

So she went on and on, talking non-stop about how much she loved her family. But she didn't see the spark in Chanyeol's eyes vanishing, being replaced with darkness. With hatred.

From what Chanyeol heard, her family sounded a lot like his. Triumphant. Rich. Overbearing. And he hated his family. So damn much.

He hated how they forced him to go to parties and social events. How they pushed him to talk to stuck up little kids. How they tried to persuade him that being a doctor was what he needed to do in life. How they tried to cut music off his life.

They had tried to change him so many times, and he got so sick of it he ended up packing his bags and running away from them.

"Sooyoung," Chanyeol said, stopping her mid-sentence. "How can you stand them?"

Sooyoung raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Chanyeol shifted in his seat. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't going to end good but he still went on. "How can you think so highly of them? Your family? Sounds to me like they're just as infuriating as mine."

"Infuriating? Mind you, my family is highly-respected and-"

"And rich, yes, you already said that." Chanyeol pressed on. "But did you never get tired of them pushing you? Pressuring you to always be at the top? Because I did. That's why I ran away."

"Why would I? It made me want to actually be the best and make them proud of me," said Sooyoung. "Of course, you wouldn't know that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"It means that I think you're probably too afraid of everything to even try to do what your parents want."

Silence enveloped the two of them. Awkward silence, with neither really knowing what to say. Sooyoung pushed the slice of pizza around her plate and Chanyeol only looked down at his own food. The silence was suffocating. Made them feel trapped and uncomfortable.

Chanyeol pushed his chair out, making a screeching sound that was louder than it normally would've been. "I should just go…" He said, not even daring to look at Sooyoung.

"Yes, you should go." said Sooyoung.

Chanyeol almost stomped his way out of her apartment. His shoulders heaved as his irritation grew. Meanwhile, Sooyoung stared right at the wall in front of her, her face blank. She heard the door shut quietly, signifying Chanyeol's departure.

They both realized something, in that moment. Chanyeol was everything that Sooyoung hated. And Sooyoung was the very thing that reminded him of what he ran away from.

\-----

_ Present time _

Sooyoung scoffed. As much as she hated the way their lobby smelled, she couldn’t bother herself with talking to a foul-mouthed jerk like Chanyeol. She simply let it pass by. Chanyeol may not be what Sooyoung would call decent but she was sure that he at least knew how to handle his drinking problems.

That's what she thought. Because days and weeks passed by and his apartment still smelled like alcohol. It didn’t get better, much to her disappointment. In fact, it only got worse. By that time, Sooyoung was already pissed. Furious, even. Being the high-class perfectionist she was, it irked her when something wasn’t done right, or perfect. It annoyed her when something felt off.

So she decided to check up on him. ‘For my own benefit’ she thought.

She knocked on the door three times. When she got nothing, not even a ‘come in!’ she decided to let herself in.

And what she found made her stomach churn. Beer bottles were scattered all across the marble tiles. A massive pile of dishes was left undone on the sink. A few articles of clothing,  _ women’s _ clothing, were thrown on the leather couch. The further she sauntered into Chanyeol’s apartment, the more she felt like throwing up. Stepping over an electric guitar that was smashed in half, she finally came across the man who owned the apartment himself.

Park Chanyeol was leaning against the corner part of his living room, situated right beside the glass windows that overlooked the smaller buildings below them. He looked -and smelled- like he hadn’t showered in days. A stubble was forming on his chin. His eyes were droopy as if he hasn’t slept in a while. Everything about him was so unruly Sooyoung would’ve fainted in distress right then and there. However, she sucked it up and walked closer to Chanyeol.

“Park.” She lightly shoved his thigh with her boot-clad foot. “What in heaven’s name happened to you?” She continued eyeing him down as Chanyeol stirred in his seat. She then noticed the tiny cuts on his fingers wrapped around the neck of a beer bottle, the splotches of dirt that looked more like bruises on his cheeks, his chipped fingernails.

“Sooyoung?” This was the first time he called her by her name. Her first name. They always referred to each other with their surnames, who much to their disappointment, were the same. Or using various insulting nicknames that no one else could comprehend besides the two of them. She didn’t expect how perfect her name sounded when it came from him. “Why are  _ you _ here?”

His voice was raspy and rough. Yet it was faint and delicate. It gave her an idea of what he was going through. It sounded like he was broken.

“I .... came to check up on you,” She said, still standing.

“Why?” He pushed himself up, and this time he was the one who towered over Sooyoung. “It’s not like we’re friends, and it’s not like you care about me.” He stared down at her, almost as if he was taunting her.

“I’m highly offended that you think of me that way.” She said as Chanyeol moved past her, intentionally bumping into her shoulders. Chanyeol walked towards his fridge.

“Well,” He opened the door of his fridge and scanned its contents. Sooyoung was trailing behind him and she caught a glimpse of the bottles of beer and leftover take-out boxes in his fridge. “Did you mean that you actually do care about me?”

“I-” Sooyoung paused. Why was she here, exactly? It wasn’t like she and Chanyeol were acquaintances, much less friends. In the past year that they’ve lived next to each other once did she think that she cared for him. So why was she here?

She crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head up high. “Do I have to care about you to check to see if my neighbor hasn’t been murdered yet?”

Chanyeol chuckled. He pulled out another bottle of beer, setting the empty one near his kitchen sink. “Yes, actually, you do have to care about me,” He took a sip, the beer burning his throat. “So tell me,  _ Park _ , why are you here?”

“Well if you’re going to treat me like that and not appreciate how I took time from my busy schedule to see if you’re still alive then maybe,” Sooyoung flashed a bitter smile and adjusted her handbag that hung on her right arm. “I should just leave.”

She patted her thigh as if there were dust on them. She walked past Chanyeol, on her way to exit his apartment. It took her a minute and a half to get from his kitchen to the door. A minute and a half of her wishing deep down that Chanyeol would call her name once again. That he would tell her that he needed her to be there, with him.

She heard his voice. And for a moment she thought that he’d call her. Except that didn’t happen.

Sooyoung sighed. She begrudgingly pushed the door open and walked away from Chanyeol’s apartment. 

Weirdly enough, she felt like she walked away from more than his apartment.

\----

A month has passed since Sooyoung last spoke or even saw Chanyeol. Thirty-one days. Throughout those thirty-one days, she tried to forget about him.

Keyword: tried.

Sooyoung had a habit of remembering everything, of not forgetting a single thing. She was brought up like that. Her mother taught her that every little thing that someone does is valuable to her. At least, in the future. If ever she wanted to blackmail someone.

And so the six minutes she spent inside Chanyeol’s apartment has not once slipped past her mind.

To be honest, it probably would’ve been easier for her to forget about him if they weren’t neighbors. And if she didn’t have to see the door of his apartment, the only thing standing between them, everyday. And if she didn’t have to smell the scent of alcohol that had completely taken over their hallway.

It would've been easier if she just stopped thinking of him all the time. But she couldn’t, and she didn’t know why.

\----

Sooyoung had been standing in front of Chanyeol’s apartment for five minutes now. The reason why she was there in the first place was simple. Chanyeol’s well being bothered so much to the point where she didn’t even get a blink of sleep last night.

This was all too confusing for her. She had always claimed that she could care less about Chanyeol but what she was doing right now proved otherwise.

At this point, she truly didn’t want to try and figure out what she felt for the man. She just wanted her old, not-worrying-about-her-neighbor self and if getting that back meant helping Chanyeol on what was going on in his life, then that was what she was going to do. And that’s how she got caught up in this situation right now.

Her left hand, curled up in a fist, was hovering over the wooden door. Her mind was all over the place, trying to contemplate if now was the right time to do this and thinking of what she would say at the same time.

She was about to knock, her fist was just a few millimeters from making contact with the door when suddenly, it swung open and revealed Park Chanyeol.

He was even more, for the lack of a better word, hideous than the last time Sooyoung saw him. There was practically a beard that had grown on his chin. His eyes held less emotion than before. A frown had been permanently etched on his face. His hair was messy, spiked up in a hundred different directions.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes upon seeing Sooyoung. All he wanted was to restock his beer stash without running into trouble. “Why are you here again, Park?”

“Look, Chanyeol,” She began. “I hate that I have to say this but …” Averting her eyes away from Chanyeol’s piercing orbs, she finally said. “I’m worried about you.”

He scoffed, placing a firm grip on the doorknob, he began slowly closing the door on her face. “I don’t believe you.”

Sooyoung quickly slipped her foot in between the door frame. “Why?”

“Because you’re Park Sooyoung,” Chanyeol pushed the door further. “And Park Sooyoung never cares about anyone but her family, especially me.”

“Well if it benefits her, then yes she does care.” She said.

“How would this,” He gestured randomly. “Whatever it is that you wanna do, benefit you?”

“I just want my peace and quiet back, okay?” Sooyoung sighed. She ran a hand through her hair. “I want to stop worrying about you.”

Chanyeol let out a light laugh. That was the first time he laughed in a month. “That’s a very weird reason, Park, but okay.”

“‘Okay’ what?”

“I’ll take it. Whatever ‘it’ is.”

Sooyoung flashed him a smile. One that made butterflies swarm through his tummy. Though, the butterflies were stamped on immediately when she plastered on her usual poker face and held her head up high. She lightly shoved him aside to enter his apartment.

She earned a scoff from the man but she continued to make herself comfortable on his couch. Once he sat down beside her, she shot him a look. It took a few seconds for Chanyeol to realize that Sooyoung was looking at him. He had his head tilted downwards as his eyes watched his fingers play with each other.

Her gaze was intimidating, and he felt himself squirm beneath the sharpness of her eyes.

“Tell me why you’re like this.”

“What do you mean?”

Sooyoung sighed. “Why do you look so depressed?”   
  


“Oh,” Chanyeol looked down, finding his sock-clad feet more interesting than meeting her eyes. “She broke up with me.”

“You’re like this because of a girl?” Sooyoung scoffed. He was clearly overreacting for such a small thing.

He sighed, frustrated. “You don’t understand,” He looked at her right in the eyes. “I love-  _ loved  _ her. So damn much. And she cheated on me with some billionaire asshole.”

“Well if she cheated on you then why are you so hung up? I knew you were stupid but-”

Chanyeol cut her off. “It’s because I knew she still loved me!”

“Again, if she loved you so much, why did she cheat on you?”

“I…” Chanyeol didn’t realize that by now he was on his feet, towering over Sooyoung who still sat calmly on his couch. He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know…”

“It’s painfully obvious, Chanyeol,” Sooyoung placed her hand on his, rubbing her fingers over his palm gently. “She never loved you.”

Chanyeol felt his knees go weak and they eventually collapsed. He landed with a thud right beside Sooyoung who pulled him close to her chest. She wrapped both of her arms around his tall frame, encasing his entire body in between her.

Never did any of them think that they’d somehow end up this close to each other and yet here they are, in the comfort of each other’s arms.

After their little emotional moment, Chanyeol had fallen asleep in Sooyoung's arms. And Sooyoung, who was never quite the touchy type of woman, desperately tried to detach herself from Chanyeol. She squirmed and shifted around until she found herself standing beside the couch, finally free from the grasp of Chanyeol's lanky arms.

She sighed in relief. The feeling didn't last too long though, as she quickly realized that she was now left with nothing to do. Inside an apartment that was foreign to her.

She looked around, lifting and looking at the little trinkets that surrounded Chanyeol's apartment. At least, the ones that hadn't been broken by its owner. She then came across his music room. It was dank and dusty. Cobwebs decorating some parts of the room. The instruments also mimicked the condition of the entire room.

She cringed, walking out to look for cleaning products.

It wouldn't hurt to tidy his place up.

-

Chanyeol woke up at around 6:30. The sun was setting, leaving a mixture of warm colors on the sky above and a hazy feeling on his surroundings. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes, stretching and yawning. His nose picked up a scent. His apartment smelled sweet and decadent.

He stood up, walking towards his kitchen to find Sooyoung. His apron was wrapped around her waist, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

His heart began beating faster at the sight of Sooyoung looking so … cozy … and warm. And never thought that he'd get to see her like this.

He cleared his throat. "You cook?"

"Never knew you were that forgetful,"

Sooyoung flipped the pancake she was cooking before she turned her body to face him. A tiny smile made its way to her lips. "Yeol."

Chanyeol face-palmed, burying his face deep in his hands to hide his embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He looked up, a playful grin on his face that closely resembled Sooyoung's.

And for a while, they just stood there, grinning like idiots.

\----

The next few months went by like a quick breeze, coming and going in a flash.

Sooyoung started coming over to his apartment before she left for work. She would wake him up. Sometimes by gently shaking him till he woke up. Most of the time by slapping his thigh and threatening to not cook him some breakfast.

The threat was never taken seriously by the two of them, of course, because Sooyoung would always end up in the kitchen. Each time, she cooked something different, depending on her mood. Sometimes she'd go for his favorite french toast. And sometimes, when she felt tired, she'd grab three packs of ramen from his cupboard and cook those instead. The noodles always dropped in the boiling water first, much to Chanyeol's disagreement.

If there was enough time before she had to drive to work, she would join him for breakfast. Turns out, Chanyeol was a pretty decent person to talk to. He was one of the few people who could keep up with her and the topics she liked to discuss (which were more often than not, politics, work, and fashion).

Then, when it was time for her to leave, she'd give him her usual speech. It sounded more like words from a nagging mother to Chanyeol but it was always the same thing. She reminded him to wash the dishes, keep his apartment tidy, and encourage him to get back on making songs. At first, Chanyeol only shrugged her off, but as time passed by, he finally picked the guitar up.

They became a lot nicer to each other. The snarky remarks they would often make were held back. Instead of shutting each other out, they let each other in. Sooyoung was never patient. Yet she never forced Chanyeol to tell her anything until he was ready. And Chanyeol never liked anyone sticking to him like a leech. But when Sooyoung would sleep over his apartment, he felt more at ease.

In the past few months, a type of friendship has bloomed between them and somewhere along the lines, they began falling for each other too.

And boy were they scared. This feeling, where butterflies swarmed through their stomachs, was so foreign. So unfamiliar. Especially with Sooyoung who has never had even a crush before so she had no idea how to react. Chanyeol, though, knew exactly what to do. 

He just has to run away. Like always.

And that’s what he did.

Sooyoung, who was carrying a plastic bag filled with snacks, let herself in. She knew she didn’t have to knock anymore since she’s always over at his apartment. She even has her key. “Chanyeol! I’m back and I have snacks!”

Silence. She found this odd. Chanyeol always rushed to her the moment the word ‘snacks’ came from her lips. But this time there was no thunder of his steps or his adorable giggle.

Sooyoung walked further into the apartment. She placed the bag down and began searching for Chanyeol. She looked everywhere. From his room to his kitchen, even his bathroom. But still, there were no signs of him.

Maybe he just went out, to buy something or get some fresh air, she thought.

She sat down on the couch with a sigh, and that’s when she noticed a tiny note in the middle of the coffee table. She leaned over and picked the piece of paper up.

It was from Chanyeol.

_ Thanks for helping me get back up on my feet again. I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. Let’s see each other soon. _

_ Love, your Park Chanyeol _

  
**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments for our author! <3 You could also leave a like and share with your friends on Twitter! Just look for our festival thread on @exovelvetwrtrs.


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